Mark Schinsky, MD, of The American Hip Institute & Orthopedic Specialists in Chicago, performed the first surgery using Exactech’s Alteon short tapered wedge hip system, according to a June 23 news release.
The implant, for total hip replacement, is up to 25% shorter than standard tapered wedge systems and is designed to grow at a smaller rate laterally and distally. It can conserve distal bone and is made to designed to achieve immediate axial and rotational stability.
“For every total hip replacement, my goal as a surgeon is to reconstruct a mechanically stable hip joint with implants that fit the patient’s anatomical needs,” Dr. Schinsky said in the release. “The Alteon Short Tapered Wedge Hip system provides a shorter and distally narrower version of the successful Alteon Tapered Wedge system. The addition of the short tapered wedge system allows another option for surgeons to fit different femoral anatomies in one complete system.”
The implant is available in a limited launch, and a full release is expected in the fourth quarter.
